The Officer's Mess (Warriors Book 3)

by L P Peace

  Aerdan huffed, turning to Bedvir, who was grinning back at him. He moved on, looking at Haddis. They kept exchanging glances, faces heating, eyes becoming aggressive.

  Danielle managed to snatch her hands away before Haddis was leaping on and over the table and on top of Aerdan. She screamed and shoved herself back.

  ‘For vrok’s sake,’ Kentor called as Sidha scrambled from his lap. He stood, grabbing at Haddis and pulling him away.

  ‘Let’s get you out of here,’ Bedvir said, pulling Danielle to him and heading to the door.

  ‘Oh no you don’t,’ Aerdan called out. Something impacted into Bedvir, and Danielle found herself careening towards the opposite wall in the hall.

  Sidha grabbed her and pulled her to him before she could impact. He turned to the mess, and Danielle could see Kentor holding onto Haddis with one hand and trying to part Bedvir and Aerdan with the other.

  ‘Would you vrokking charvosh stop this?’

  ‘Let’s get you to your room,’ Sidha said, pulling Danielle towards the hall.

  ‘What the fuck was that about?’ Danielle said. Even as she said it, she knew what the problem was.

  Her. They were competing for her.

  Danielle felt her stomach sink. Since Endurance. No, later, since Zoe snapped at her on the slave ship, she’d realised what an absolute bitch she’d become and how useless she was to her crew.

  Being kidnapped brought back all of the trauma of him. She couldn’t close her eyes without seeing him reaching for her, and everything from back then crashed down over her. The helplessness, the self-hatred, feeling utterly alone. She’d withdrawn from her crew. A crew she wasn’t a great commander to in the first place. But she could have been. She should have been. Instead, she’d let the poison of the past infect her like a rotting disease and let it spew out of her in nastiness and bad decisions.

  She should never have trusted the Halidan captain. But all he had to do was smile at her, and she capitulated to his request like a fawning child. She’d been trained to seek male approval. That’s what he had done to her, and even now, it was causing division and fights.

  By the time they reached her door, Danielle was violently shaking.

  The sooner they let her go, the sooner they could realise she was no good for them, no good for their ship, no good, the better off they’d all be.

  ‘Do you want me to stay with you?’ Sidha asked.

  ‘No.’ Danielle forced a smile to her face. ‘You should get back and help Kentor.’

  Sidha searched her face, indecision on his. Finally, there was a shout from the mess that echoed down the halls.

  ‘Help him before they destroy the whole mess,’ she said, forcing herself to laugh.

  With an unconvinced look on his face, Sidha nodded and walked away.

  Danielle watched him go, then went into her room, closing and locking the door behind her.

  Mixing was a mistake. Talking to them was a mistake. She needed to go.

  * * *

  Haddis sat in the pilot seat, feeling his whole body tense in anticipation.

  After the former evening’s debacle, for which Sidha had thoroughly admonished them, Danielle was returning to see them once again.

  He felt the tendrils of guilt unfold into his mind as he thought about what a charvosh he’d been the previous evening.

  Aerdan was so intent on claiming Danielle for his own that he acted as though she was already his. Haddis had no intention of wearing his hair down last night until he’d gone down to the engine room. Haddis was there to take in the subtle and incredible scent of Danielle. Kentor was doing some simple maintenance in the hall when he mentioned that Danielle was joining them for dinner, and Aerdan was excited.

  The moment Bedvir and Haddis looked at one another, they knew exactly what Aerdan was going to do. The exchange was completely silent, but when Haddis left, they both knew they were going to dress for Danielle and wear their hair down just as they knew Aerdan would.

  Hair was important to Temerin. Their hair, their eyes and their markings were their mita. It was their culture and belonging. They worked hard to maintain them and show them off at their best, but a Temerin male only released his hair from its binds when he was with his mate. It was an expression of hoji. Of being home, being family, being safe and comfortable—it meant tasty meals, long shared baths, warm fires, and hacri of making love. To wear your hair down for a mate was the right of claiming, and it was a right Aerdan didn’t have, even with his circumstances being what they were.

  Haddis felt for his friend. To be the last of his mita must be a hard thing. To know the mita’s existence depended solely on his life and death—on his ability to find a mate.

  But it was almost like he wasn’t considering Danielle or Haddis and Bedvir at all.

  The fact was, Haddis had always believed he, Aerdan, and Bedvir would mate the same female. He’d never expressed this belief to either of them because, until Danielle, he’d believed they felt the same way.

  Temerin didn’t really think about family in the same terms as many races. As being parents and their children. For Temerin, family was not just about blood. It was about who your heart reached for when they wanted their family. It was who their heart accepted as family.

  For Haddis, Kentor was family not just because he was his brother but because he was the one who was always there when Haddis needed to rant. Whenever he needed support from someone, Kentor was the first one he thought of, the first face he sought. Sidha was family not just because Kentor loved him but because Haddis loved him. He loved his humour, his kindness, his openness, and he loved the way Kentor’s face lit up whenever he laid eyes on the male. He loved that Sidha made him happy. Made him want to be a better male than he’d been when Sidha left.

  It was the same thing with Aerdan and Bedvir. When he imagined his future, before Danielle, he’d always seen Aerdan and Bedvir with him. Together, the three of them would protect and love their mate. They would each father children and raise them together, loving each child as their own. They would make love to their mate separately or together and share her cries of pleasure. They would make her feel safe. Make her feel hoji.

  Now the fourth face had been added to his fantasies, and Aerdan was trying to lock them out.

  It wouldn’t do. It wouldn’t be allowed.

  Haddis would taunt and torture the male. But not while Danielle was around. Not anymore. Not after the tongue lashing they’d gotten from Sidha!

  The door opened, and Aerdan walked in with Danielle, all smug smiles. Haddis hit the comm button for the engine room once without them noticing.

  Turning, Haddis set his eyes on Danielle. She was so vrokking beautiful. She was small and delicate. Humans had smaller frames than Temerin, and Haddis found he’d obsessed with her wrists. The bone there was so slender, the skin thin enough that he could see the blue of her veins beneath. His gaze moved to take in her hand and fingers, which were long and elegant, with small nails that were blunt.

  He looked up at her face, which was taking him in through concern tinted brown eyes. Her cheekbones were high, which hollowed her cheeks, defining the delicacy of her jawbone. Her nose was thin and upturned, while her lips were full. She watched him with no small amount of fear, but Haddis didn’t think she feared that he would be violent; rather, she feared being judged. There was a vulnerability that called out to him to wrap her in his arms and protect her from all eyes but theirs.

  ‘Welcome to the bridge,’ he said in his smoothest voice. ‘I’d like to apologise for my behaviour last night. I didn’t mean to chase you away.’

  There was a flicker of something that was quickly gone before she forced a smile to her lips and shrugged. ‘No problem,’ she said. The tone of her voice was false.

  Haddis smiled back at her, not letting her know he saw it. Danielle wasn’t fake. She was afraid, and Haddis sensed she was afraid they wouldn’t like her for no other reason than she needed them to.

  ‘It will not
happen again,’ he pledged.

  ‘Yes, it vrokking will. Don’t lie to her.’ Bedvir closed the door to the bridge behind him. ‘But we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen in front of you.’

  Danielle smiled hesitantly before it died on her lips. She forced another smile, this one not as genuine as the last. ‘I’d appreciate that,’ she said breathily.

  ‘Please, sit down, Danielle,’ Aerdan said with a ridiculous flourish.

  Danielle sat, and Aerdan signalled to Haddis, who put in a call to Thanesh.

  The massive Protectorate male appeared on the screen. They’d sent a message earlier about when they’d call and were relieved to see he was available to take it.

  ‘Danielle. It is good to see you.’

  ‘You too, Thanesh. I hear you’ve been asking about me.’

  Thanesh’s eyes moved to Aerdan, the lines of his face tensing. ‘Yes. I was beginning to think you were being deliberately kept from me.’

  ‘Ah, no. Sorry, that was all me, I’m afraid. I was too scared to leave my room. The guys have been great, really. I was just being a dill.’

  A dill?

  From the confused look on Thanesh’s face, Haddis wasn’t the only person confused.

  ‘Sorry, an idiot. I was being an idiot,’ Danielle clarified, her face flaming.

  Haddis had to suppress a smile. She was adorable when she was embarrassed.

  ‘I should have come sooner,’ Danielle said. ‘Did everyone get off? Is Alethia okay? Rhona and Sophia?’

  ‘Alethia is fine,’ Thanesh said. ‘Rhona too. Sophia was hurt, but she is recovering.’

  ‘Oh no. What happened to her?’

  Haddis turned to Bedvir while Thanesh filled Danielle in on what had happened to her friend. He was watching Sophia with an adoring look on his face. Haddis had never seen Bedvir show any interest in a female. It was as if he knew, just as Haddis did, that they would find their mate in the same female. Bedvir must have felt Haddis’s eyes on him. He turned, their eyes meeting, and a slight grin appeared on his face. Again, the communication was silent, but Haddis knew he and Bedvir were on the same page.

  Danielle belonged with the three of them.

  When Haddis turned to Aerdan, he saw a possessive, greedy look on his friend's face.

  He’s being a dill.

  Haddis decided he liked the word and would be adopting it immediately.

  ‘So what happens now?’ There was distress in Danielle’s voice which drew his gaze back to her.

  ‘Now we prove it was a conspiracy involving the Bentari and Fedhith,’ Thanesh said. ‘I have put a bounty out on Tolomus in all non-IGC worlds. I believe I can break him down and get him to confess his part. Once I have that, the IGC will have no choice but to delay their trials and keep the humans in their care safe.’

  ‘Then what?’ Danielle asked.

  ‘Then I am going to do everything in my power to ensure those humans and Earth are safe.’

  Danielle nodded, though Haddis could see the doubt on her face. She didn’t trust easily, this little human.

  ‘We have already started,’ Thanesh said, appearing to see the same thing. ‘I learned this, rote, that Kadian got Olivia Trent from the Myardahl homeworld. A friend of his also bought Lieutenant Mona Lu from an auction.’

  ‘That’s wonderful,’ Danielle said. There was relief in her voice, and some of her muscles seemed to relax.

  ‘My best man is bringing Addison Daniels back from Caras as we speak.’

  ‘Oh, good. I bet Sophia’s overjoyed.’

  ‘She is anxious to see her,’ Thanesh agreed. ‘I gave her the news a few hacri ago.’

  ‘Thank you, Thanesh. I honestly don’t know how we can repay you.’

  A dark look appeared on Thanesh’s face. ‘They could honour the agreement we had about letting your females know we are looking for mates,’ Thanesh said. ‘But I will be talking to your government about that.’

  Danielle gasped, but as she opened her mouth to speak, Thanesh held his hand up. ‘My apologies. I should not have brought it up. I learned about it at the same time Keral called to confirm their escape, and I am… angry.’

  ‘I understand why. I had no idea.’

  ‘I will let your crew know you are safe,’ Thanesh said. He turned to Aerdan, his face hardening. ‘And that you will be returning to them soon.’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ Aerdan said, his voice confident and only a little bit mocking. ‘Just as soon as we have our situation sorted out, I’ll turn the ship around and head to Tessa.’

  ‘Or you could let us know where you will be and we can rendezvous with you,’ Thanesh said.

  ‘Hmm. Honestly, I never feel safe letting anyone know where we are,’ Aerdan said, his voice airy. ‘You know, because we’re a weak slave race and there are so many slavers out there looking for us. I think it would be safest if we took a circuitous route back to you and aimed to get there in a cycle or two.’

  ‘A cycle or two?’ Danielle’s head whipped around towards Aerdan.

  ‘Or three. We could head around to Hevalin space, down through Dauvin and up through Malian. Or we could go through Oridan, down through Taorin and come in through Gaoalin space. So many routes. So many options.’ Aerdan leaned against the bulkhead, a slight grin on his face. Haddis chuckled.

  ‘Or you could head to any of the corridors of Tessan space and contact us from there.’ Thanesh growled.

  ‘Oh, Thanesh. If you think we’d be safe just because we’re in your space, you don’t know how slavers work.’ Aerdan watched him with a sincere look on his face, but Haddis could see his lips twitching from humour. ‘We’ll get her back to you. If that’s what she wants.’

  ‘It is,’ Danielle said forcefully.

  For now, Haddis thought. Wait until you’re screaming our names from pleasure. You’ll never want to leave.

  Thanesh growled out his excuses to cut the call and was gone. Aerdan led Danielle away, and Bedvir disappeared a moment later with a grin.

  Haddis turned back to his work, but his focus was lost. Danielle had been a commanding officer on her ship. Her crew had been taken and sold where she’d been rescued. Along with the Myardahl and the explosion, it was no wonder Danielle seemed so sad. How was she supposed to be okay after everything that had happened to her?

  * * *

  Two more days had passed since her conversation with Thanesh, and even though she was worried about what the Temerin intentions were towards her and taking her home, Danielle found she enjoyed being on Compound Errors. Even if the name was a bit much.

  Aerdan and Haddis tended to manage the bridge, though Kentor helped out there as well. Bedvir was the engineer, but Kentor helped out there as well. Kentor also cooked the food and did maintenance. He usually did all of these things with Sidha’s help, but Sidha seemed to be on permanent Danielle watch.

  Every morning, the orange male appeared at her door and encouraged her to join the crew for breakfast. The crew would laugh and joke, always making sure Danielle was included in the humour.

  After the guys left, she and Sidha would sit and talk. Eventually, Kentor would show up, and the three of them would make lunch, or mid-meal as the Temerin called it. The guys would come in from whatever they were up to, and they’d all eat together. Then they’d disappear again, and she and Sidha would talk some more until Kentor arrived once again to prepare mave meal. Their evening meal.

  It was getting a little monotonous, though less so than when she’d spent a couple of weeks in her room, alone.

  The nightmares were getting worse, though, which was leaving her drained of both energy and emotion. Danielle put it down to the slave ship following them and the fear it would catch up before the Temerin could enact whatever plan they had.

  Sidha was leaning against the wall in the bench seat next to her. If he was bored with babysitting her, he never showed it, and in truth, Danielle was grateful for his company.

  ‘So you and Kentor?’

  Sidha looked at her, a s
mile appearing on his attractive lips. ‘Me and Kentor.’

  ‘Hot and heavy sex?’ Why was it she could talk about sex with gay men and never straight men or women? It was one of the things Danielle found so confusing about herself.

  ‘Very. Kentor has a powerful appetite.’ Sidha’s grin was almost obscene.

  ‘But it’s not just sex?’

  ‘Honestly,’ Sidha’s grin faded into something more sincere, ‘I loved him the first time I saw him. Grizzled, scarred, big and ugly.’ Sidha looked at her. ‘He was beautiful to me. Beautiful and powerful.’

  ‘Do you think he feels the same?’ she asked, keeping her voice quiet so no one would hear them speaking.

  ‘Yeah, of course he does. I mean, I’m sure he does.’ Fear appeared on Sidha’s face. ‘I hope he does.’

  ‘You haven’t talked about it?’

  Sidha shook his head. ‘That’s not the kind of relationship we have. I mean, Kentor, not much of a talker.’

  ‘I noticed that.’ Danielle smiled. ‘I think he does, though,’ she said. ‘The way he looks at you. The way he holds you. I can’t imagine he looks at anyone else with a fraction of the emotion in his eyes when he looks at you.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Sidha said, his voice was little more than a breath.

  ‘What happened between the two of you? When Kentor arrived, when the guys arrived at breakfast that day, you’d already mentioned him. You already knew each other. He saved you from your planet, and you had a relationship. Why did it end?’

  All of the humour fled Sidha’s eyes and face. He stared at the wall opposite, lost in thought.

  ‘I was on this ship for several cycles,’ he started. ‘Everything was hot and heavy. I’d never been with anyone I could be myself with. On our planet, males like me have to hide. Pretend we don’t feel the things we feel. There’s always a little shame if we’re together. I hated it. But with Kentor, there was none of that. He revelled in who we were and how we made each other feel. In all honesty, I fell hard.’

  Sidha went silent. Danielle reached out and took his hand. ‘You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.’